LAGOS Nigerian authorities have placed a red alert on all passengers flying to Malaysia because of an alarming surge in the number of suspected drug traffickers arrested on that route, an official statement said.
Nigeria's anti-drug agency NDLEA said its boss, Ahmadu Giade, took the measure due to "the increasing number of arrests made on the route and the need to prevent obstinate drug traffickers from smuggling drugs to Malaysia where drug offences attract capital punishment."
Giade appealed to airlines and passengers travelling to Malaysia to submit to intensified security screening.
"The increasing number of arrests on the Nigeria-Malaysia route is alarming. We must be prepared to make sacrifices in protecting the image of the country and prevent the execution of our nationals abroad on account of drug crimes," he said.
The figure of suspected drug traffickers travelling to Malaysia arrested at Lagos airport rose sharply from two last year to 21 so far this year, NDLEA spokesman Ofoyeju Mitchell said.
A 38-year-old South African woman, Nene Fikile Happy-girl, and a Nigerian, Onyemaechi Remigus Chibuzor, 29, were arrested last week at the Lagos international airport as they tried to board an Emirate flight to Malaysia.
They were found in possession of methamphetamine, the agency said.
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